A UK Standard Visitor visa is the visa for a short visit to the United Kingdom. It lets you come to the UK for tourism, to visit family and friends, for business, for a short course of study, or for private medical treatment. You can usually stay for up to 6 months, and the visa costs £135 for a stay of up to 6 months. This guide explains who needs one, what you can and cannot do, how much it costs, and how to apply, based on the official GOV.UK guidance.

The Standard Visitor route is the single route for most short visits. It replaced the old separate visitor categories, such as the general visitor, business visitor and family visitor routes, so the same rules now cover a holiday, a family visit and a business trip. The rules sit in Appendix V: Visitor of the Immigration Rules, and GOV.UK publishes a plain-English guide to the route. Because the rules can change, always check the official GOV.UK page before you apply or travel.

What can you do on a Standard Visitor visa?

GOV.UK says you can visit the UK as a Standard Visitor for tourism, business, study on courses of up to 6 months, and other permitted activities. The full list of permitted activities is set out in Appendix Visitor: Permitted Activities, but the main ones are straightforward.

• Tourism and holidays, and visiting family or friends in the UK.
• Business activities, such as attending meetings, conferences, interviews and trade fairs, negotiating and signing contracts, and carrying out site visits.
• Study on a course of up to 6 months at an accredited institution, including sitting an exam or taking a short recreational course of up to 30 days.
• Volunteering for up to 30 days with a registered charity.
• Receiving private medical treatment.
• Coming as an academic, senior doctor or dentist, or to take part in a permitted paid engagement as an expert in your profession, where that is arranged in advance.
• Passing through the UK in transit to another country.

Remote working for an overseas employer is only permitted as an incidental part of a genuine visit, for example answering emails while you are on holiday. Coming to the UK in order to work remotely is not a permitted use of a visitor visa.

What you cannot do on a Standard Visitor visa

What the visa does not allow matters just as much as what it does allow. GOV.UK is clear that a visitor cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company, or work as a self-employed person in the UK, unless the work is a permitted paid engagement or event. You also cannot claim public funds, which means benefits, and you cannot live in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits.

• Take a job with a UK employer, whether the work is paid or unpaid, or work as a freelancer for UK clients.
• Run a business based in the UK, or sell goods or services to the public in the UK.
• Study on a long-term course, or study for more than 6 months.
• Marry or register a civil partnership in the UK, or give notice of a marriage or civil partnership. A separate Marriage Visitor visa is needed for that.
• Claim public funds or benefits.
• Make the UK your main home by using repeated visits, one after another.

The route does not lead to settlement in the UK. If you want to live, work or study long term in the UK, you need a different visa route, such as a work visa or a Student visa.

Who needs a Standard Visitor visa?

Whether you need a visa depends on your nationality. GOV.UK says that depending on your nationality, you may not need a visa to visit the UK, and you should check if you need a visa before you apply. Some nationalities need a Standard Visitor visa before they travel. Others can apply for an electronic travel authorisation, known as an ETA, which costs £20 and allows a stay of up to 6 months without a visa. Some nationalities do not need a visa or an ETA at all.

Even if you do not need a visa, you must still meet the Standard Visitor eligibility requirements when you arrive. Border officers can ask about the purpose of your visit, how long you plan to stay, and how you will support yourself. The GOV.UK Standard Visitor guide includes a tool to check whether you need a visa or an ETA for your nationality.

How much does a Standard Visitor visa cost?

A Standard Visitor visa costs £135 for a stay of up to 6 months. That fee was set in the Home Office fee changes of 8 April 2026, when it rose from £127. The earliest you can apply is 3 months before you travel, and GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks of your biometric appointment.

If you visit the UK often, you can apply for a long-term Standard Visitor visa. The long-term options cost £506 for 2 years, £903 for 5 years, and £1,128 for 10 years. A long-term visa does not let you stay longer on any single visit. Each stay is still capped at 6 months, and the visa simply lets you make repeated visits over the years it is valid. You do not need to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for a visitor visa, because the surcharge does not apply to visits of 6 months or less.

What do you need to show to get a Standard Visitor visa?

GOV.UK says you must have a passport or travel document to enter the UK, and it should be valid for the whole of your stay. You must also show that you are a genuine visitor. That means showing that you will leave the UK at the end of your visit, that you can support yourself and any dependants during your stay, or that someone else is funding your visit, and that you can pay for your return or onward journey.

• You will leave at the end of your visit and will not live in the UK through frequent or successive visits.
• Your planned activities are permitted activities for a visitor, such as tourism, a family visit, business meetings or a short course.
• You can support yourself and any dependants without working or claiming public funds.
• You can pay for your return or onward journey, or someone else is paying for it.
• You have ties to your home country, such as work, property or family, that show you intend to return.

The most common reason for a refusal is a failure to show that you intend to leave at the end of the visit, or that you can fund the trip. Documents that help include bank statements, evidence of employment or study at home, a letter of invitation from family or a host in the UK, and details of your travel plans and accommodation.

How to apply for a Standard Visitor visa

You must apply for a Standard Visitor visa online from outside the UK, before you travel. The application is made on GOV.UK. You will need your passport or travel document, details of your trip, and documents that support your application. After you apply online, you attend an appointment at a visa application centre to prove your identity, have your fingerprints and photograph taken, and hand in your supporting documents.

Apply no earlier than 3 months before you travel. GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks of your biometric appointment, although processing can take longer at busy times of year, so apply in good time. If your application is refused, the refusal notice will explain why, and in most cases there is no right of appeal, although you can apply again.

Can you extend a Standard Visitor visa?

In most cases, no. A Standard Visitor visa is for a short stay, and you are expected to leave before your permission ends. GOV.UK says you might be able to apply to stay for longer in certain circumstances, for example to get medical treatment. Longer stays are also possible in some cases for academics. If you think you may need to stay longer, check the official guidance on extending a visit visa before your current permission runs out, and do not overstay, because overstaying can affect future applications.

Frequently asked questions

Can I work on a Standard Visitor visa? No. You cannot take paid or unpaid work for a UK company, or work as a self-employed person, unless you are doing a permitted paid engagement or event that was arranged in advance. You can attend business meetings, conferences and interviews.

Can I study on a Standard Visitor visa? Yes, on a course of up to 6 months at an accredited institution, and on a recreational course of up to 30 days. You cannot study on a long-term course, and you cannot switch to a Student visa from inside the UK as a visitor.

Do I need a visa or an ETA? It depends on your nationality. Some nationalities need a Standard Visitor visa before travel, some can use an ETA costing £20, and some need neither. Check the GOV.UK tool for your nationality before you book anything.

How long does a Standard Visitor visa take? GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision within 3 weeks of your biometric appointment. Apply up to 3 months before you travel, and allow extra time at busy periods.

Can I visit family in the UK on a Standard Visitor visa? Yes. Visiting family or friends is one of the main permitted purposes of the route, and you can stay for up to 6 months on each visit.

Can I get married in the UK on a Standard Visitor visa? No. You need a Marriage Visitor visa to marry or register a civil partnership in the UK, or to give notice of one.

Visa rules change, so check the official GOV.UK page for the Standard Visitor visa before you apply. This guide is general information, not personal immigration advice.